Houndrim: Tail of Meeko
by Accendrix
Summary: Pana has died. I'm now the only one of my new, twisted Species...and worst of all, I'm alone in this struggle. / Sounds sad but through new freindships and love Meeko evolves to accept his lone spot in Skyrim and his new friends guide him alone...except one is a bit too much like him and the other is as far from being a dog as she can get. / Includes Sinding and Khajit OC
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Bark, Bark, Woof, Woof…Motherfucker

* * *

"Meeko, come! …Damnit Meeko!" Pana scolded. The Irish Wolfhound barked at the Troll and charged the creature, jumping onto it's chest and biting it in the hairy throat. Roaring, it lifted the dog off it's body and tossed at the shore. Pana brought her Nordic Sword down onto the Troll's shoulder and blood splattered the young Nord woman, as the Troll cried out in pain. The large Forest Troll beat at her with his meaty hands, her steel shield slamming down into her arms as the impacts landed on it. She retreated to Meeko's position, where he barked at the Troll, bleeding from his back and neck. His wet nose had blood on it, Troll blood. The Troll itself stumbled backwards into the brush trying to regenerate, using it's natural Adrenaline factor to dampen the nerves and for the cells to multiply quicker. With floppy hands he swung them at Pana and she dodged, jumping sideways and backwards, boots touching the muddy shore of the river. Wielding her sword upwards she screamed and stabbed the Troll. Unfortunately her thrust missed and her entire body was open to it. Those jagged claws/fingernails stabbed through her Horned Scaled Armor and into her chest, breaking the ribs and striking the heart. Meeko snarled and bit the Troll's arm, his muzzle twitching as his strong jaws clamped down onto the thick arm and tasted the wash of blood. However the Troll's shoulder numbing had reached its arm and he head-butted the dog. Whimpering loudly Meeko felt the cold mud touch his paws as well as the water brush his legs.

"*cough* Meeko, run." Pana struggled to say. When she did accomplish her task she shut her eyes and her head fell to the grass, blood dribbling down the sides of her mouth.

Everything seemed to be serene then. It was like the whole world went to slow motion. His wide eyes went to the Troll, and it was sluggishly turning around to look at a flash of light came closer and closer. The Troll then flew backwards and rolled onto it' singed back. Another fireball came and turned the Troll to complete bone and ash. Meeko snarled and smelled a foul scent that came from the other side of the river. He spun around on his injured legs and saw a woman clad in a blue and purple mix robe. She had a fireball spell in one hand and an iron dagger in the other. Putting her weapon and spell away she knelt down on both knees and called to Meeko.

"Here here dog. C'mere poor boy."

She looked like a nice old lady, but something was off. Reluctantly he came closer to the shore and sat on his bottom. Pana was dead though, and the mixed smell of death and smoke was driving his nose crazy. The old woman crossed the river via a rotten log that had fallen over and made a bridge. Teetering over it perilously she arrived at the carcass of Pana, a huge cavity in her chest was spurting blood. She looked like she was sleeping, utterly at peace with her eyes closed and a smile on her blood spattered face. Meeko whimpered in sadness when Anise went over to Pana's body and bent over it.

"Oh dear…poor girl."

Anise then looked to Meeko and got a Healing Hands spell out, both hands casting it. Meeko felt something tingle on his dog fur, and then a deep warmth filled his entire body as the bright yellow energy swirled around him, healing his wounds. He was wagging his tail and smiling now. Anise smiled back, but something made him stop.

"What is it dear?" she asked.

Meeko decided it was nothing, and he ran to her and began barking. He went to Pana's body and knelt beside it, nuzzling against her, whimpering and humming in grief.

"Don't worry my dear, we'll bury her. Come with me."

Meeko listened to "come" and he trailed the old woman as she walked back to her shack. It reminded him of his old master, before Pana found him in the shack in the woods, and she merrily accepted his companionship with her Adventuring. But Anise seemed to be his new owner now. Following her to the untidy shack she cast a green spell in her left hand, but pretended that it was nothing. Meeko's instinct told him that this was getting to be dangerous, but he ignored it and followed on when she presented him with some cooked goat leg. Munching it down in front of her garden she pet his neck and then shot him with the paralyze spell. Everything stiffened up in him, and he rolled to one side. Anise then began to cackle, and she dragged his body to the small hay covered trapdoor in the shack. Roughly being thrown down into the cellar, she cackled once again and shut the trapdoor.

…

"I'm baaack dearest." Anise laughed. He had been unfrozen in the dark, the spell wearing off. He barked and growled at her, his rage fueling his actions. Climbing onto the Arcane Enchanter he waited for the door to open and he jumped through pouncing on the woman.

"Oh dear!" Anise laughed, she was near the front door. Meeko looked down in horror and saw the lifeless Zombie boy of Pana underneath him. Nana was cold, with lifeless eyes and a dead look on her face. With profound strength she pulled Meeko off and struck his snout, causing him to swim in pain. Anise shot him again with the Paralyze spell and he turned into a statue. Anise knelt down and smiled wickedly.

"This…is what will happen to you if you resist more."

She pointed to Pana, who was groaning in undeath. Anise laughed again and shook her head in satisfaction. Meeko understood. He understood that this Witch had befouled his beloved Pana, and intended to use her as a thrall. He then swore that he'd rip this Witch's throat out once he had the chance.

"Just my luck! A thrall and a perfect subject for this concoction I've cooked up!"

…

Meeko was strapped to the wall, his arms painfully stretched to either side, much like a human in shackles would look like. Snarling and barking at Anise as she came closer with a pole, a potion in a large vial attached to it. She had a devilish smile on her face and playfully asked,

"Time for a check-up, boy. Here's some new medicine for you. Pana! Get the mutt under control!"

Meeko's heart broke when the Zombie Pana hit him on the snout again with the flat of her Nordic Sword. Surely the other Companions would be here by now to rescue Meeko and put Pana out of her undead misery? Pana forced his mouth open with herbare hands, ignoring the blood that dripped out of his mouth when his teeth bite into her fingers as she gripped his jaws. Sadly accepting his owner's hands, Anise too the opportunity to put the vial into Meeko's mouth and he instinctively slurped and lapped at the potion. It tasted awful, but it was forced down nonetheless. He felt his heart ache and some bones of his body began to tremble. Anise laughed wickedly as he howled in pain. His entire form transformed from Dog to…a furry humanoid. Meeko yelped in pain as his legs grew and bones were re-arranged. His organs heated up as they shifted form, and Anise ordered Pana to back away. Meeko's sight turned black after a few moments and he went to sleep.

…

Awaking in his dog body on the nice and soft grass, he got up and sniffed at the air. It was musty, and the scents of freshness and death were mixed together with other scents he didn't know. The whole area was amazingly crystal clear, every tree feature and rock's crevice being defined to his eyes. Looking to the sky, an endless sea of stars in the black night sky was met. He was intoxicated by this sight, his mouth panting as his eyes darted to every other star. His ears perked up when he heard the sounds of boots, and turning around he yipped when Pana came running to him. She was clad in her gear from before, but this time she looked to be much more…bright. Jumping onto her he barked in happiness as she smiled back at him and pet him.

"Welcome to Sovguarde Meeko!" she cried. After some horsing around she led him on the path, he marveled at the large statues that towered over them, and was uncomfortable when Pana came to meet a huge man called Tsun.

"Another Nord here to prove her worth? And what's this? A War-Hound? Haha! Welcome to Sovnguarde my furry companion! A thing like this hasn't happened in ages! Sadly, the kennel is a bit empty, but you'll need to prove yourself in order to meet the other heroes!"

Pana got out her Nordic Blade and accepted Tsun's challenge. Sadly, she wasn't strong enough. Accepting her fate she bid farewell to Tsun and moved back to the path. Meeko followed, but a gruff barking caught his attention. Next to Tsun was a ferocious dog breed Meeko was unaccustomed to. It was a Husky, with a white and black fur. Bright blue eyes and sharp white teeth. Armored up with small Nordic pieces, the Husky barked at Meeko and he barked back. Growling, she stepped forwards and brought her head down, and then jumped a bit closer to Meeko.

"Time for you to test your mettle, if you choose War-Hound."

Pana smiled behind him and encouraged him on.

"This is Morna, my companion. Test your strength against her, and if you succeed, you will be able to enter-"

Tsun never finished though. Something jolted Meeko back into immediate sleep and he felt like he was struggling to get inside a heavy sack of potatoes or flour, with soft and cold things rattling inside.

…

"Wake up! Wake! Up!" Anise screeched. Meeko's eye shot open and he inhaled sharply, his chest heaving with the musky cellar air. Pana was next to him, except she was the old Pana- the lifeless Zombie who was now Anise's thrall. He glanced at her face and snapped his jaws, spittle flying off his teeth and at Anise. She wiped the grueling liquid away and put a bowl of water in front of him. It was right on the floor, and his head hung down from his shoulders, hovering over the ground. Looking into the water a gasp escaped his lips as he saw what he had become. He looked like a human now, the closest comparison he could make at the time. His skull had morphed to be rounded and thinner, although his severely shorter snout was still there. The fur on his face was still there, as well as his wet black nose- but his ears had shrank a bit. Looking down at his body he saw that he wasn't a four-legged walker anymore, instead he was a two-legged and two-armed dog! He had five fingers which he hesitated to move, and his feet had also morphed. Trembling and whimpering he looked at Anise with evil eyes, and the words rushed to his mouth,

"What. Did. You. Do. To. Me?!"

Anise looked shocked, but then laughed out loud.

"You can speak! Haha! The Dogman knows how to speak! How wonderful, must have learned from that Warrior Owner he has. Thrall, dear, did you talk a bit too much around him?"

No answer came back from the Zombie girl. Anise chuckled and looked at Meeko. He felt his lips and the inside of his mouth with his shorter tongue, marveling at the new body. Everything was so natural to him body-wise, but his mind swam with memories of being a dog. Getting increasingly angry as Anise kept speaking, he clenched his clawed fingers into a fist and reached for her. Something gave way, and the shackles broke. Anise froze in place started to shake. Meeko snarled in a low tone and inched towards her, on all fours. He felt his tail droop down and hug his bottom.

"For Pana." he said in a ragged voice. Anise didn't spin fast enough as Meeko jumped onto her and sunk his mouth onto her neck.

…

It took him an hour to try and escape the cellar. Eventually he jumped onto the boxes and barrels and jumped out, using his new thumbs to grip onto the edges of the small trapdoor and pull himself up. It was dark out now, the scents of fresh air returning to him. Pana had become a mystical pile of ash, and he took her sword with him, the old Nordic blade now a masterly crafted modern sword which gleamed in the light. Biting onto it, he got up off the floor and tried to walk. He was about the size of a human male. Anise's cabin was incredibly untidy and his thrashing around made a racket. Somebody heard something, as the sounds of boots coming closer to him were heard. He looked into the night with wide and fearful eyes. The sounds of running feet came closer and Meeko slinked away in the shadows, his jaws gripping the blade harder.

"H-hello? I heard a noise, anyone here?" a man asked.

Meeko watched from the shadows, but he was never one for stealth and the man saw him in the dark. The Nord male had dirty blonde hair, and some ragged pants on. He looked unkept and scruffy. The Nord smelled like wolf, but Meeko didn't seem to care for that. The man came closer, and Meeko shouted in a frightened and shrill voice,

"Don't come any closer!"

The man froze in his place, looking comical as he was unmoving, with one leg put out to walk and one hand reaching behind him. The man then scoffed and got a stronger form. He crossed his arms on his bare chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Come out of the shadows and we can talk peacefully."

Meeko hesitated but with some more encouragement and revealed his Dog-Man form. The Nord man backed up a bit and readied himself to a fighting stance.

"Woah! Woah, slow down! I'm backing up, friend…return to your spot from before or I'll make the first move Moonbrother."

Meeko was puzzled. He slunk back into the shadows, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Snarling at the man Meeko began to loathe himself.

"Just…leave…I'm…I don't know what I am." Meeko growled out, his voice making the other man cringe. Something got the man though, and he took a step forwards and knelt down to rest on his toes. Making a face, the man asked,

"Hey, don't be ashamed. You seem to have control over your powers if you're able to speak to me."

Meeko shook his head in confusion and blurted out,

"What powers?!"

The man looked taken aback, but he pressed on.

"There are some people who under the moon, change form. You're one of them based on the looks of it…except you're much…lankier. I mean no offense, and I hope you haven't taken any."

Meeko's confidence went up and he stepped out of the darkness and into the moonlight. The man yelped and stepped back.

"No! Don't go!" Meeko pleaded.

The man agreed to his request and stopped. He looked to the shack and then to Meeko, and he ran inside. He heard the man sniff powerfully, and then the man walked out.

"That's blood in the air…and on you're face…you've killed."

"It's not what it looks like I-"

"It's alright brother…I've been there. The name's Sinding…you?"

Meeko sighed in relief, thankful that the man didn't freak out. He reluctantly said out, in a much smoother voice,

"M-meeko."

Bursting with confidence he puffed out his chest and proudly declared,

"I! Am! Meeko!"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: We're both brothers and sisters in binds now

"Good thing you're more Meeko than feral. Listen, I've said enough and seen enough. Good luck to you friend."

Sinding was about to turn away when he heard something like a small whimper come from Meeko's mouth. He didn't know what went through his mind, but a surge of emotion went through him. It was crazy how much his strong mindset from before seemed to crumble into ruins as Meeko emitted the well known animal-in-trouble-whimper. He didn't want to turn around but something paternal forced him to. When his eyes came upon Meeko, the thing was on the ground looking miserable, with big sad eyes looking up at him. The moonlight came down onto the thing and Sinding felt something in his heart give way so that a warm rush clouded his heart and mind.

"…Don't do that." he stammered out. The one tiny bit of his brain that was logical was trying to regain control. However it wasn't working as Meeko's ears went down and his face went to the floor showing the posture of a small child who had nothing and was ashamed to say anything. The dagger of judgment ripped into Sinding's ribcage and he actually reached up to his scruffy chest with a cold hand. He felt a dry heave come on, but it turned out to be a hysterical sob where no tears are shown but the misery and hopelessness of another being can move someone so hard that they feel drowned by the other's misfortune like it was their own.

"…I, um. Uh." Sinding tried to say that he didn't have time for this. He knew that he could be no one's friend, other than the one who freed him from his Deadric ordeal. Meeko pulled himself back together and slouched down. He then took a few steps to go away from Sinding when the man blurted out,

"You're coming with me."

Meeko turned around in surprise and Sinding went up to him and grabbed his head in an embrace. Like a father to a son, he then patted Meeko's neck and soothed the confused creature. After some time Sinding let go and playfully punched Meeko's shoulder while giving an embarrassed smile.

"Alright, let's go. Don't want someone catching us and then mounting our Werewolf heads on a spike."

…

He had lead Meeko a ruined town called Helgen. At first he was absolutely confused at how it had been destroyed. But then the faint thoughts of hearing some campers he managed to scout on speak about a Dragon attack at Helgen, where an Ulfric or another was supposed to be executed. Sinding could care less about the politics of Skyrim, even less about the Nine. He refused to believe in anything other than Hircine and his Daedra companions. Supposedly Vampires were created by Molag-Bal and Werewolves by Hircine himself. But Meeko…he was terribly deformed for a Werewolf. Looking more like a human combined with the features for a dog. Not as brutal as a Troll or defined as a Spriggan. Nonetheless he introduced his new furry apprentice to Helgen.

"This…I used to know this place. Apparently a Dragon attack ruined it. Never mind that though, we need to find somewhere to rest our haunches." Sinding explained as the two walked through a collapsed building. The burned corpses of the town's inhabitants had apparently been mounted on wooden pikes by the Bandits that used Helgen as a home base. However those Bandits had moved on after an Adventurer massacred most of them single-handedly. When Meeko heard Sinding say "Rest our haunches" he thought of Aela of the Companions. When Pana asked what it meant to be a Companion to her she replied with some words that included those mentioned before. A strong wave of homesickness swept over Meeko, but he had learned to deal with those things when traveling with Pana. Whatever Life threw at her, she would deal with it and move on. However Life this time threw a Troll in his prime and more vicious than any other at her, sad to say but she did not move on a Meeko had hoped.

Sinding led Meeko to a stone tower that was next to a large archway with wreckage blocking it up. The town was large and looked to be like a thriving community before it was destroyed. Sinding told Meeko that a Keep was in Helgen, where Imperials would garrison themselves and monitor the Town. Entering the Stone Tower, Sinding rested on the stairs while Meeko leaned against wall and crossed his arms, as he had seen Pana do countless times. Oh Pana…what a wonderful woman to be with. Meeko loved her, as a dog does to a master. However in the past few hours he was thinking about her and their reunification in Sovnguarde. Shor had actually respected the prowess of a hound in battle, and had that Husky to be the tester, as Tsun was to the Nords. He constantly saw he smiling in his head, or whispering words of encouragement as if she resided within him. Looking up from his deep thought, Sinding was staring back with curious eyes. There was a torch next to the steps that had burned out a long time ago. Sinding got up and stretched. He then went to the wooden table and hopped up onto it. He was now looking right at Meeko.

"…You know, you look nothing like a Werewolf. You also don't even express those primal instincts and actions that I would do. I've been thinking about it, and I think I can say that you are NOT actually beast blood."

"I know." Meeko replied casually.

Sinding nodded his head and looked to the floor. That's when the impact of it dawned on him. This creature was entirely new to him.

"Well…um, er, what are you then friend?"

Meeko walked over to the door and leaned on a side of the doorway, looking up to the sky.

"Wish I knew. I used to be a dog, now I'm this. That necromancer gave me a potion and forced this change onto me…I miss being a dog already."

Sinding was silent for the rest of the night. In fact, he was horrified and stupefied. Meeko actually was a dogman! Or a Mandog, depending on how Meeko would consider it. Both didn't sleep, Sinding because he knew it was useless and Meeko because he was too preoccupied thinking about life. In the middle of the night Sinding was in a semi-conscious coma when he felt Meeko's hand on his shoulder. Openeing his eyes and scaring Meeko with his almost transformation, Sinding tried to cover his sharp teeth and malformed snout/nose while angrily asking,

"What?!"

Meeko looked right into Sinding's eyes and said,

"I need to find direction in life…you're going to help me."

"W can do that in the morning, now shut up to go away."

…

In the morning, the warm sunlight mixed with the slightly chilly air and Meeko ran outside of the tower with a spring in his step and vigor that had not been expressed before. Sinding walked out rubbing his eyes and stretching his back to crack a few bones. His stomach was grumbling and he also needed to relieve himself. Going over to the destroyed house next to the tower he pulled down the front of his roughspun trousers and was about to urinate when he looked to his left and saw Meeko near the wreckage at the archway on all fours and with a leg uncomfortably angled up.

"W-what are you doing?!" Sinding said in his Nord accent. Saying "what" like a singular term and the rest as a fast cluster. Meeko looked over at Sinding with confused eyes.

"Get up! Am I going to have to show you how to relieve yourself too? What am I your birth nurse?"

After a few hours of basic lessons on etiquette and lifestyles Sinding declared that Meeko was satisfactory and ready for civilization. The question was, is Civilization ready for Meeko?

"Alright, so I think I've done enough for you. Taught you the basic human necessities for survival, how to fight, how to hunt, etc. Where are you going to go now?" Sinding jokingly asked.

"Pana used to lead me to this big walled city called Whiterun. Over there is Jorrvaskur, mead hall of the Companions. You're coming with me."

Sinding laughed out loud and tried to rid the image of the two of them meandering through Whiterun like they were normal people. Then he stuttered when he listened to what Meeko said over again in his mind.

"…You want me to come with you…to Whiterun?" Sinding asked. Meeko nodded furiously and wagged his tail.

"Yes."

"I'm not going."

Meeko was hit hard. In a dejected tone he asked fiercely,

"Well why not?"

Sinding sighed and looked to the ground. Then he shot out,

"I swore not to go to Civilization ever again."

Meeko didn't care for oaths or swears, he barked out,

"Who cares! That's the past! This is the present! We're going to White run and that's final."

"Who are you to command me what to do DOG?" Sinding yelled back, his Nord accent overpowering his speech, "Eh?! I am loyal to what I say, and you have no control over me! I could have left you to die out there in the night but I didn't! I'd rather have Kynareth herself strike me down now than go with you on a stupid journey to our deaths!"

Unknown to them, before Meeko introduced his idea of going to Whiterun and speaking with the Companions, the winds died down and the clouds above began to turn grey and blot out the sun. Minisucle droplets of water would harmlessly fall to the earth below, and when Sinding spoke lightning from the sky shot down into Helgen where it ricocheted off the stone Tower and grazed Sinding. He flew to the floor clutching the charred area at his right pectoral and shoulder, grunting in pain. Meeko heard the lightning and worriedly ran into the stone tower to hide. Sinding was on the floor writhing in pain, cursing as the pain began to go away.

"What did you do?!" Meeko shouted.

"NOTHING." Sinding snarled back. Then the rain came, and it pounded down hard.

"Get me out of the rain!" Sinding said through clenched teeth. They had sharpened up. The command was sent to Meeko, who popped his masculine head out of the door.

"…Only if you become my new traveling companion."

"Are you kidding me?!" Sinding screamed back. Kicking his arms and legs onto the ground and trying to breath as the rain pelted down onto him.

"C'moooooooon." Meeko said smoothly. Sinding succeeded in getting up onto his knees, before falling back down in weariness onto the ground.

"FINE. Okay? Alright, fine!"

…

Dragging the Nord by his ankles up the steps and into the tower Meeko put the dirty rug onto the man to warm him up. He shut the door and was at the other end of the ground floor. Meeko was smug, while Sinding was fuming angry. Knowing what he had just gotten himself into Sinding sniffed a bit and snapped,

"I'm not coming with you."

"Yesyouare."

"No."

"Yes!"

"N-"

"YES! YES. IT'S FINAL. YOU EVEN SAID IT YOURSELF. Now shut up."

Recognizing a bit of himself on Meeko he smiled devilishly, before shaking his head and letting his wet hair fly around the room.

"Once I'm warm, *sniff* ugh, and strong again *sniff* ugh, I'm going to tear you apart."

…

Normally, one does not question a hooded figure and his/her companion as they saunter into Town just as the morning is ending and the sun is dipping slightly behind the mountains. However these two figures were tall, buff, and clad in robes that hid almost every feature of them. One who had a good eye would consider them to be Thieves, another Murderers, others as Beggars, while to others just men with horrible diseases. The Guards looked away, for fear that these men had connections with the Dark Brotherhood or other foul presences, while the normal townsperson judged every aspect of these two men. One was all in purple while the other had on a mix of orange and white. They looked like Priests if you didn't consider every other menacing aspect of these figures. There was a close call when a little girl in a blue dress bumped into one of them, asking

"Are you even people? My mama tells me that now Vampires are coming into Towns and killing everyone. Are you a Vampire mister?"

She then tried to snag the hood off of one of the men, but the other quickly grabbed her small hand and lightly tucked it at her side. He bent down, unaware of the multitude of eyes trying to sneak a glance at what his answer would be, all hoping that he actually was a man and not something else like a Necromancer or Cannibal. Sinding pulled down his orange Monk hood and smiled at the little girl. She smiled back after seeing his face and hearing him say,

"Anything but, sweet girl."

Quickly getting up and putting his hood back on, he walked on with Meeko to the Winds district. All around, everyone was breathing a silent sigh of relief.

"What stupid costumes, and stupid Guards, and stupid little girls, and stupid-" Sinding complained in a harsh whisper, until Meeko cut in,

"Be quiet! You did a good job covering for us." in an equally harsh whisper. Sinding gave him a glance by spinning towards him and then turning back.

"Do you know how hard that was? What would have happened if she saw your dog face? She would have fetched her mother who would have fetched the guards who would have fetched the Jarl who would have fetched our executioners!"

"Calm down!"

Meeko and Sinding were climbing the stairs, leaving the little girl to her spot beside the well in the middle of the Market. They reached the top only to see a man in some dashing clothing seeming to be aimlessly standing still. He turned to them and announced,

"Olfrid! Patron of the great Clan Battle-Born, a name I'm sure-"

"Oh shut up." Meeko said, passing the man. Sinding peeked up at the huge tree that was blooming in the center of the Wind district. Meeko nudged for Sinding to pay attention, and he led them to the stairs going up to Jorrvaskur. Heimskr was preaching again, doom saying and screeching about Talos and his mighty divinity.

"Did you ever think to rip that man's throat out?" Sinding mumbled. Meeko chuckled. Surprisingly his voice had become suave and easily understandable now. His body was still shifting, but in time he was scared that he would never go back to being a dog. They arrived at Jorrvaskur, where Sinding took off his hood and took in a sniff.

"Either there's a man on fire or a Nord's at a Forge, there's something being made."

Meeko told him about the Skyforge. Sinding then glanced down with precise eyes to the large rock next to the steps. After some scanning he calmly asked,

"What's with the door there?"

Meeko double-taked at the Underforge, but then it came into sight. The clear outline of the door to the Underforge was seen and he scolded himself on how he never realized it before. What was also new to him was that color was coming to his eyes very differently. His eyes felt different, and when he saw that green things were not yellowish anymore but actually GREEN, or when red things looked brown or orangey before but now looked RED- he had a breakdown and wanted to see everything more closely to recognize these new colors. Sinding went to the Underforge and examined it's doorway. He was about to enter when a rough Nord voice next to him said,

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

Eorland Gray-Mane had his strong arms crossed on his chest and was giving a judging stare at Sinding. Meeko went to Sinding's side and said,

"Nothing sir, just looking at the door here and all."

Thinking that the situation was resolved Meeko and Sinding turned away but Eorland grabbed Sinding's shoulder and spun him around in a feat of Herculean strength. Grabbing Meeko's collar he pushed them together and forced them onto the wall, piercing through them with intense eyes.

"How did you know about the Underforge?" he commanded. The door to Jorrvaskur opened, but none of them heard. After some silence Eorland shouted,

"How did you know?!"

Meeko tried to mediate by saying,

"Well my friend here has great eyes and he caught the outline. Doesn't everyone know? Pana told me that the circle would go out sometimes and she caught them entering the area-"

"Pana? How do you know her? Brave lass was a welcome change to those thick-skulled ones we have now. Who are you two?"

Sinding gave Meeko a look that said, "shut up I'll speak now" but through the hood Meeko's face tightened up into a serious look and he replied,

"I am Meeko. I loved Pana."

He pushed Eorland away with one hand and quickly got the upper hand over his rival. Sinding took the time to ready himself as new scents arrived at the scene. Meeko smelled them too. As if on cue, Aela and Vilkas arrived together.

"Problem Eorland? Who are your friends?"

Vilkas was about to step forwards when Aela shot out a hand to his torso to stop him. She was intent on staring at Sinding.

"Smell it yet Vilkas?" she says in an unidentifiable tone. Vilkas's stare hardens and he squints his eyes. He then also stares at Sinding. Aela looks to Meeko and seems confused.

"One smells of wolf, the other smells of…what the?"

Eorland goes to Aela and Vilkas and tells them what the strangers said and did. The three then all look at Meeko and Sinding. There was a standoff between them all, everyone was staring at each other. Aela would shift between Sinding or Meeko, Eorland looked to Meeko, and Vilkas only to Sinding. Finally, someone spoke.

"By Ysgramor who exactly has arrived. We want answers, now."

…

"I'm going to ask you again, take that hood off. Else I'll take it off for you, maybe even the whole head." Farkas threatened.

Vilkas and Aela had seated Sinding and Meeko down in front of the long tables that surrounded three sides of the hearth fire in Jorrvaskur. Meeko ate up while Sinding just stared at the others. The Circle smelled of Wolf, just like him, and they had to know he shared their curse or blessing depending on how they saw it. Through time, he had discovered a way to once again retreat from Werewolf form to human form. These people had done the same. Through a full mouth Meeko replied,

"I think that's a bad idea."

Farkas chuckled and smirked while saying,

"And why is that?"

Meeko looked at Sinding, who was intent of scoping out Vilkas and Aela. Farkas was leasning in closer to Meeko and was giving a threatening stare. Out of slight fear Meeko sighed and put his hood down exposing his furry and masculine face to Farkas who didn't even flinch. After his eyes went up and down Meeko's face he leaned back and crossed his arms saying,

"Didn't I see you fetching sticks with Pana a few weeks ago?"

The others weren't as calm as Farkas, as they jumped back and looked bewildered. From the living quarters, Kodlak Whitemane arrived speaking with Torvar. When he gave a sideways glance at the cluster of people seated at the Table he sighed and said,

"Vilkas my boy, who do w have as guests?"

Aela made room for him to walk in and his eyes widened at what he saw. Meeko's ears were up and he was happily panting away as everyone was recognizing him, while Sinding looked like he had wandered into a troll lair.

"More wolves, eh?" he retorted, giving another hard stare at Kodlak. The old man looked to Sinding and then to Aela, Vilkas, and Farkas.

"Gods, am I dreaming? One smells of the dog and the other smells of feral wolf."

Sinding nudged Meeko and raised his hood up, while he also forcefully grabbed Meeko's arm and dragged him off the chair.

"We'll be taking our leave now, thank you for the food and drink."

However Aela and Vilkas guarded the front doors and Farkas and Kodlak guarded the back. Torvar was confused and simply shrugged and walked away. Meeko didn't seem to mind the situation, he was just drinking some ale- something Pana never gave him. Kodlak walked towards Sinding and placed a gentle hand on the man, guiding him back to his seat. He gave a curious look at Meeko and gestured for the dogman to also have a seat, naturally taking the one to the side of his friend Sinding. Kodlak put a hand to his waist and another up to his chin to ponder them. After a moment he grunted out,

"We're going to need answers."


End file.
